28 April, 2009

Whole Wheat Naan: For a Healthier Me!

Whole Wheat Naan

It is one of those ‘frozen brain’ days where I am I am not able to put my feelings into words or sentences (well, in my case lengthy rants). So till I try to thaw my brains, my friends, enjoy this rare moments where you will not be tortured with my ramblings or stories. All we going to talk are food, food and only delicious food!!!

Today I have this delicious Whole Wheat Naan that I had prepared to go with Malai Koftas.Now before going to recipe part let me give you a brief note on what is Naan.

The first recorded history of naan can be found in the notes of Amir Khusrau (AD 1300) as naan-e-tunuk (Persian: نان تنک) (light bread) and naan-e-tanuri (Persian: نان تنوری) (cooked in a tandoor oven) at the imperial court in Delhi. In Mughal times, Naan, accompanied by qeema/Kheema or kabab, was a popular breakfast food of the royals. The word is believed to have originated in Central Asia within the Persian speaking nations of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, and Tajikistan, the word naan literally means "bread." The word and bread later spread to South Asia, into present-day Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and the surrounding regions. (Source: Wiki)

Traditionally Naan is cooked in Tandoor or an earthen oven which works on the same principle as of the modern day ovens. Interestingly, the biggest advantage of cooking in Tandoor is that it provides complete wrap around heat due to the way it is built and by controlling the draught and the fuel, Tandoor can be heated up to 400 degrees C, which is something no other traditional cooking oven can achieve (Source: buzzle.com). To bake breads like Naan or Tandoori Roti, the rolled circular dough is stuck inside the Tandoor with the help of a hooked stick or even bare hands. When the Roti or Naan is cooked, it falls off and is then collected using long pointed stick. The aroma and the taste of Rotis or Naans cooked in Tandoor oven is something hard to describe and one needs to taste the hot, soft Tandoor Roti or Naan to experience how delicious bread can taste! Since we don’t own a Tandoor or have no plans of owning one in future, we use simple method of making Naan using stove top or gas/electric oven at home! I usually use simple iron griddle and make Naan on stove top.

Unlike my previous recipe for Butter Naan which is made using Maida/All Purpose Flour, this one is a healthier version and hence, guiltless indulgence (and works very well for my current diet plan)! I wasn’t too sure as how it would taste in the beginning as Naan meant flat bread made with Maida and Maida alone! But to my surprise (a pleasant one too!), it not only tasted wonderful, it also remained soft even when I served it again for dinner! Yes, none of that unpleasant rubbery texture which requires you to use both your hands to tear the Naan into pieces! ;) All I needed to do was wrap it in a paper towel and pop it in a microwave for a minute and voila, soft, aromatic and delicious Naan was ready to be served with in minutes. Next time I am thinking of freezing it and see how it turns out. If you have already tried freezing it, do leave a line as how it tasted. Before I sign off, I would like to send this bread basket to dear Dee of Ammalu's Kitchen who is guest hosting this month's Think Spice: Kalonji, a wonderful event started by dear friend Sunita and also Susan's Yeastspotting.

Dissolve yeast in warm milk and keep aside for 10 minutes. Soon the yeast will start to react and will become all bubbly and frothy.
Next, sift wheat flour and all purpose flour along with sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a small well in the centre and slowly add yogurt, oil and yeast dissolved milk. Add little warm water if needed and kneading till you get soft pliable dough.
Cover this dough with a wet cheese cloth or cling film/plastic wrap and keep it in a warm place for 1½ to 2 hours till the dough rises and doubles its original quantity.
Punch down this raised dough to release air and divide it into equal sized lemon sized balls.

Whole Wheat Naan cooking on cast iron tawa/griddle

For Cooking the Naan:

Heat tawa/griddle at medium flame. Roll this dough ball in little wheat flour and flatten it on flat surface. With the help of rolling pin, roll it into a ¼ inch thick oval shaped roti. Sprinkle little sesame seeds, nigella seeds and coriander leaves or any topping of your choice and gently press them using rolling pin.
Flip the naan and sprinkle little water and gently place it on the heated iron tawa. Remember to put the water side down.
When you see bubbles forming on the surface of naan in few seconds time, increase the heat to high and lift the tawa and turn it down so that the surface of naan is directly exposed to the flame. While keeping the flame on high, move the tawa so that naan is cooked evenly and dark spots starts to appear.
Well, Whole Wheat Naan is ready to serve. Apply butter or ghee and serve hot with any Curry of your choice.

I am your regular visitor..i really like the way you express and your picture is too good..i have tried a lot of recipes from your website..i will appreciate your patient and interest..keep rocking..my best wishes for your effort..

That looks so good, I love the topping with the seeds and cilantro, it makes it looks so appetizing and pretty. I also love this being made with wheat flour, so I have to try this next time I want some naan and don't want the white flour :)

This looks so beautiful! I made white flour naan yesterday and I loved it, but I feel guilty when I eat non-whole grain breads. I was afraid to modify the recipe I had though, so I'm going to try your recipe!

Yummy Sia..... I have been looking at naan recipes all over the internet and cook books...this one seems the most convincing!...the pic makes me drool ....this is a bookmarked recipe I have to try ASAP!

Although mine didn't come out looking like yours . . . most had like one big bubble, but they definitely weren't covered with lots of little bubbles, and some were completely flat! I don't know if it was because I used the griddle or what, but aw, sad.

Sai, I found this recipe through a google search for whole wheat naan. I tried it for my family (2 kids and husband) and they all enjoyed it. My husband wants me to make it for his mom and sister as he thinks they will really love it too! (I added jalepenos on his naan.) Thank you! I think it may also make a very nice pizza crust and will try so tomorrow as I have left over dough.

Thanks for the great recipe. I will be sure to check back next time I need a recipe. I am particularly interested in healthy and tasty recipes.

I tried making this today but it didn't turn out very good. I own an electric stove, so I obviously can't use an open flame. I tried baking it in the oven instead. I didn't get any bubbles, and the bread was too thick and chewy.

The naans came out very well. I put them in the broiler to do the tops, since I have an electric oven. Very soft and tasty. Huge bubbles! The ones rolled thicker were better. Thanks for the great recipe!

Sia, I have tried many of your recipes and they are all wonderful. My husband is a manglorean and he loves the mangalore dishes which are there on your website. I am a bit confused about the nan preparation. When you turn it over won't the nan fall off? Can I do it in our baking oven?

@Unknown, the water you sprinkled on the surface of naan helps it to stick/hold on to the tawa when you invert the tawa to direct flame. it takes just a minute for the naan to cook on both sides. you can use the oven to make the naan using the broiling or grilling function but i find it very use to make on stove top. hope this helps.

Hi Sia, thank you for this healthier version of naan. I tried it today and it came out well. Love your blog and have tried many recipes however my first comment here. Just thought I would let u know how much your hard work is appreciated!

I don't exactly remember reading this post of yours coz if I had read it, I would have certainly tried this recipe..I HATE Naan from restaurants...my jaw hurts chewing those rubbery pieces.Must try this and I am sure it is gonna work like a charm!

@Resi, I am sorry but I can't answer to your question as I have never used ceramic cooker. I will post your question in MS's facebook page and let's see what others have to say. You can join us here ~ https://www.facebook.com/MonsoonSpice

@Resi,here is what Monsoon Spice's reader Jyothi suggested when I posted your comment in MS's facebook page. hope you find the tips useful

Tip 1: Use steel rack used for cooling cakes or any baked stuff directly on the ceramic hob. Preheat the ceramic plate with rack, on high for 5-10 mins n place the Naan on the rack n as bubbles show up, flip it with the spatula other way around n cook it till done. This method requires bit of flipping till it is completely done.

Tip 2: Use pizza stone, pre heat oven on high for 15 mins. Place 2-3 naan on the pizza stone and bake for 2-5 mins max. My oven has a max setting of 240, but in case your oven setting is higher,then it will take even lesser time. So keep an eye on the brown spots while the naan is being cooked.

Hello Sia, Can you please convert the yeast measurement to spoon? I tried making it yesterday my yeast didnt bubble up :(. Wanted to try it again so thought of clearing some doubts.Can you advice how to make it in an Electric Oven?Do i need to preheat the oven? I could see in the comments some of them were really successful in doing it in oven .After adding yeast how long we have to knead the dough? If i am halving the recipe is it ok to half the yeast too?I am a beginner in these dishes so i hope you don't mind my silly doubts.Thanks for your valuable timeRose

@Rose Jacob, I used online metric conversion and it says 7gms is 1.4 teaspoons. With instant yeast, the bubbles are really small, like whitish froth unlike the dry active yeast (large granules) produce large bubbles. You can add a tsp of sugar with the yeast as sugar helps in activating the yeast. All said and done, if the yeast didn't bubble up, then it may be old one. So make sure that you are using the fresh ones. You can halve the amount of yeast used if you are using only half the amt of flour.To cook in an electric oven, read my comment above yours.You knead the dough till you get a soft pliable dough like the ones for chapatti/roti. Yeast in the dough will react when it rests. Hope this helps.

Made the Whole wheat naan with the Butter paneer and Vegan Avalakki Payasa for dessert. Everyone loved it! As always all your recipes are fabulous and absolutely delicious. The naan were really soft and no one missed the traditional maida naan.

Hi Sia!Your naan looks very inviting and the recipe looks very simple. I also stumbled upon another website when I was on Google for naan recipes using atta or whole wheat. http://bhavnaskitchen.com/wheat-naan/Apparently that website also has the same write-up for this recipe. Just wanted to bring to your notice if you didn't know.

Namaste! I am Sia and welcome to Monsoon Spice, my virtual home. Thank you for all your comments, inputs and feedback. I really appreciate the valuable time you spent browsing through my recipe repertoire.

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About Sia

Born in India and raised in fun and food loving family, I currently reside in UK with my better half and my two babies, five years old son and nine years old food blog. My cooking style has strong root in Indian culture and at the same time embraces the world cuisine with equal passion. With never ending love for food, spice and life, I am passionate about cooking and making Indian food less intimidating, healthy and easy to cook which reflects in my blog Monsoon Spice which has been ranked one among Top Indian food blogs. Read more…

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